


i've told a hundred lies

by persephoneggsy



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: F/M, Jealousy, M/M, Moving On, Otabek and Mila are oblivious to Yurio's feelings btw, Plinami and Milabek are Endgame, Tags Are Hard, Unrequited Love, Yurio is a Good Friend, Yurio needs a hug, Yuuri is the Mom Friend™, he just wants his son to be happy, the otayuri is unrequited just so we're clear, they're not hurting him on purpose or anything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-01 07:37:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10184195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/persephoneggsy/pseuds/persephoneggsy
Summary: When Otabek and Mila start dating, it feels like Yuri’s been punched in the gut. No, correction: it feels like Otabek’s punched him in the gut, and the guy doesn’t even realize it. Worst of all, it’s all Yuri’s fault. He’d been the one to encourage them, after all.Then this hyperactive little nugget of a skater comes out of nowhere and barrels into Yuri's life and just makes things worse.Or better.Yuri hasn't decided yet.





	1. underneath my skin

**Author's Note:**

> so listen. there's not enough Plinami content out there you guys. Or Milabek (Otamila? the fuck is with this fandom and ship names it's like Miraculous Ladybug all over again).
> 
> Okay, I shipped Plinami since before Otabek even appeared in the show, so it's kind of difficult for me to get invested in Otayuri. Not that I don't like it, it's like a seven out of ten for me, I just wish there was more Plinami OTL
> 
> And Milabek is just cute, leave me alone. 
> 
> title is from Carly Rae Jepsen's "Warm Blood"

* * *

 

When Otabek comes to St. Petersburg to visit, Yuri is ecstatic.

He drags his friend all over the city, showing him his favorite spots, from restaurants to arcades to little shops tucked in corners. Otabek goes along with it all with his usual stoic expression, though Yuri catches a slim curve of a smile on his face every now and again, and it makes his heart speed up in his chest.

It’s so nice, having him here. He’s like Yuri’s own special person. Not that he doesn’t have any friends in St. Petersburg - of course, there are his rink mates. But Georgi’s been off with his new girlfriend, Katya or whatever her name is, and Mila is a social butterfly with friends all over the place. He’s usually with Victor and Katsudon - er, Yuuri - but most times, they’re too wrapped up in each other to give him individual attention. So yeah. He’s really thrilled that Otabek decided to visit.

Their last stop of the day is the skating rink. It’s mostly empty, save for a few stray groups of children wobbling on the ice, and Mila, who stayed late to practice her short program for the upcoming season. She grins at the sight of Yuri and Otabek coming through the doors, their skates slung over their shoulders.

“Yurio!” she waves, her voice echoing around the big rink.

Yuri feels a flash of irritation, but it’s mostly out of habit, now. Otabek’s really the only person besides his grandpa who still calls him just ‘Yuri’, choosing to refer to the Japanese Yuuri by last name to avoid confusion. Everyone else caught on to the ‘Yurio’ nickname that Victor infuriatingly brought with him from Japan. Even Yakov had slipped up and used it a few times, rather than his standard ‘Yura’.

“Keep your voice down, hag!” he shouts back, and she laughs at him before going back to practice her combination spin. Yuri huffs a stray blond hair out of his face and leads Otabek to a bench so they can tie their skates on.

Otabek, he notices as soon as they both step onto the ice, seems distracted. At first, he thinks it’s the kids, who are loud and annoying as usual, but no. He looks closer, and finds that Otabek is actually looking at Mila. An uncomfortable feeling rises in the pit of Yuri’s stomach.

He’s about to ask about it, when Otabek speaks up instead.

“She won silver at last year’s Grand Prix Finals, didn’t she?” he asks. “I saw her free skate. It was good.”

Yuri blinks. The feeling subsides, replaced with relief that Otabek merely recognized her from last year.

“Yeah, that’s her. You watch the women’s division too, Beka?”

Otabek hums. “I was just passing through,” he answers, oddly demure. “I caught her performance and couldn’t look away.”

Yuri freezes. “Uh…”

But then Otabek turns his gaze away from the oblivious Mila, and smiles his gentle smile at Yuri, and whatever unpleasant thoughts Yuri is having promptly disappear.

“So, where are we going after this?”

“Oh! We’re going to Victor’s place for dinner. Katsudon is making… Well, katsudon. You gotta try it, Beka, it’s _delicious!”_

Yuri allows himself to smile back as he and Otabek continue their lazy glide around the rink, chatting without a care in the world.

Though, just to be safe, Yuri steers them away from Mila every time she veers too close.

 

* * *

 

Blessedly, Victor and Yuuri like Otabek, too.

But why wouldn’t they like him? Yuri beams proudly at the table as he shows his best friend off, and Otabek acts like a man meeting his date’s parents. Yuri totally doesn’t blush as he thinks that.

(Alright, he blushes a little.)

It’s just hard not to feel a little warm and fuzzy, watching his best friend and pseudo-parental figures (though he’ll deny it tooth and nail if they ever find out he felt that way) interact. Victor laughs loudly, patting Otabek on the shoulder as he relates an anecdote about skating to him, and Yuuri asks if Otabek wants more iced tea, his voice and smile both soft.

Yuri doesn’t even mind when Victor leans over to press a kiss to Yuuri’s cheek in the middle of dinner, when he would usually make a retching noise and act disgusted.

Though he does bring it up later, after they’ve left Victor and Yuuri’s shared apartment to return Otabek to his hotel.

“Sorry if they were all, you know, gross and shit,” Yuri mumbles. “I asked them to tone it down.”

“It’s fine,” Otabek assures, sounding amused. “I actually thought it was sweet.”

Yuri squints. “You… you did?”

“Yeah. It’s nice when two people are in love like that. You can tell they really care about each other…” Otabek’s expression becomes soft, almost fond. “Don’t most people want a relationship like that?”

Yuri finds himself staring at Otabek, stunned, right up until they arrive at Otabek’s room. Then the older teen turns around, smiles, and bids Yuri goodnight. Yuri hears his own voice say ‘goodnight’ back, but he’s in a daze. He makes his way back to his own apartment, and stares up at the ceiling of his room, ignoring the raised, inquisitive eyebrow of his grandfather.

Otabek’s going to be the death of him, he decides.

He falls asleep with a smile.

 

* * *

 

Later that week, Yuri wakes up late, so he texts Otabek to go to the rink without him. Otabek replies with an ‘I’ll meet you there, then’ and a thumbs up emoji, and Yuri grins like an idiot at his phone for five minutes before he goes to shower.

But when he makes it to the rink, he’s met with a shocking sight.

Otabek is talking to Mila.

Maybe that in itself wasn’t shocking, but Yuri still stood stock-still in the doorway of the rink. Mila wasn’t on the ice, she was sitting on the benches in front of the dividers, a water bottle in hand. Otabek, though, _was_ on the ice, though he leaned against the dividers as he chatted with Mila, an easy smile on his face.

Otabek's eyes brighten as Mila laughs at something he said, and the uncomfortable feeling returns to Yuri’s gut.

He stalks forward, rudely interrupting their conversation, though neither of the older skaters seem to note that that was his intent. Mila grins at him and Otabek smiles, but it’s so different from the smile he was aiming at Mila earlier that Yuri just gets angrier.

He skates angry that day, to Yakov’s frustration, but no one seems to think anything is particularly ‘off’ about their resident Russian Punk. No one except Yuuri, of course, who watches Yuri with concerned eyes. When Yuri is forced to take a break by his coach, the Japanese skater murmurs something to Victor, waits for him to nod, and then glides over to where Yuri is sitting, far from the other skaters.

“Yurio?” he asks gently.

Yuri doesn’t meet his eyes. “What?” he bites out.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine. God, you’re such a mom.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Yuuri says, because of course he does. He would, Yuri thinks absently. Mrs. Katsuki is like, the mother to end all mothers. The epitome of moms.

He doesn’t flinch when Yuuri replaces his blade guards and sits down next to him.

“Really, Yurio. What’s bothering you?”

Yuri finally lifts his head, only to glare at Yuuri’s stupid, overly-concerned face. Fuck him. “Why? Did Yakov or Victor send you to interrogate me?”

They’re both well aware of the aforementioned Russians, who are both looking their way curiously. But Yuuri just shakes his head and smile.

“Even if they did, I wouldn’t tell them anything if you didn’t want me to.”

Yuri frowns, searching Yuuri’s face, but he already knows the Japanese skater isn’t lying. Finally, he just huffs, gesturing vaguely in the opposite direction. Yuuri follows his gesture and sees Mila and Otabek, now both on the ice, _together._ They’re skating side-by-side, looking for all the world like a couple in a cheesy romance film.

Yuuri’s eyebrows draw up in confusion. “Mila-chan and Otabek?”

Jerking his head down once, Yuri nods.

“I don’t understand. Why do they… Oh.” Realization dawns on his face, and he turns back to Yuri with wide eyes. “Yurio…”

He glowers. “What? Stop looking at me like that, pig.”

Yuuri doesn’t stop looking at him like that - like Yuri’s just announced his early retirement from skating, or heard that Makkachin got sick again. His eyes are soft with sympathy, his lips downturned and pressed together. It’s quietly devastated, and too close to pity for Yuri’s liking.

“Maybe you should talk about this with Otabek,” Yuuri says eventually.

Yuri barks out a laugh. “And say what? ‘Hey Beka, I don’t like the way you look at Mila. Look at me like that instead, okay?’ Give me a break.”

“So what are you going to do?” Yuuri demands to know. “Just sit and glower until he notices on his own?”

“I didn’t ask for your advice, pig,” Yuri snarls. Predictably, it does not deter Yuuri.

“It’s already affecting your skating, Yurio,” he reminds him, not unkindly. “How will it affect your performance this season? You need to get this sorted.”

“I…” Yuri swallows thickly. “ _Okay,_ jesus. I’ll talk to him.”

Yuuri raises an eyebrow.

“I _promise_ I’ll talk to him,” Yuri corrects, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “God, how does Victor put up with you?”

Yuuri just smiles sweetly, and pats Yuri on the shoulder. It absolutely does not feel reassuring. “Thank you, Yurio. And if you need to talk to someone, you know I’m always here.”

“Yeah…” Yuri raises his hand and brushes his bangs out of his face. He doesn’t look at the older skater. “... Thanks.”

He watches as Yuuri gets up and returns to Victor, who obviously starts asking questions, but he merely shakes his head and continues skating. Yuri chews on his bottom lip, his gaze shifting from the two of them to another pair on the ice.

Mila and Otabek.

Mila was making an exaggerated gesture with her hands, deep in some kind of story, and Otabek seemed to hang on to her every word, rapt with attention. Yuri grips the edge of the bench, scowling.

Much as he hates to admit it, Katsudon is right. He needs to get this sorted.

He just needs to figure out how to bring it up to Otabek...

 

* * *

 

Otabek beats him to it.

They’re eating at a cafe Yuri had shown him his first day in St. Petersburg, the atmosphere between them calm, almost like normal. Yuri had nearly forgotten his issues entirely, had it not been for Otabek’s phone buzzing towards the end of their meal. Otabek checks his messages and smiles at his screen, piquing Yuri’s interest.

“Who’s that?” he asks around a mouthful of pastries.

“Mila,” Otabek answers.

Yuri almost chokes on his food.

Otabek is looking at him with alarm as he coughs and chugs down the rest of his water. When he’s finally recovered, the older teen blinks.

“Are you alright?” he asks.

“I’m - I’m fine,” Yuri grits, his throat still stinging. “I was just surprised… Since when do you have Mila’s number?”

“Oh, we exchanged numbers a few days ago at the rink,” he replies. That easy smile returns to his face, and Yuri _hates_ it.

He tamps down on the irrational feeling. “… What did she text you about?”

If anything, though, the smile just grows wider. “She’s shopping with a friend, and found this.” Otabek presents his phone screen to Yuri, who (however reluctantly) leans forward to see.

It’s a snapchat of a stuffed animal - a bear, to be more precise. It’s tan-colored, wearing a pair of lederhosen and a little hat, and the caption reads, ‘i found you, beka!’, followed by a two emojis; the laughing one, and the heart.

Yuri gapes.

“Isn’t it cute?” Otabek asks, oblivious. He pulls his phone back and smiles at the photo fondly. “She said she bought it for me to take home.”

Yuri snaps out of his daze, and grips his water glass even tighter. It might break.

“By the way,” Otabek starts, “I’ve been meaning to ask. Is Mila seeing anyone right now?”

_Fuck._

“... Why do you want to know?” he mutters back.

“Well…” Otabek rubs the back of his neck, frowning like it should be obvious why he’s asking. “I’m interested in her.”

Yuri just stares. It feels like his stomach has just plummeted towards the ground.

Otabek mistakes his horror for something else. “Or, um… is she not into guys?” he asks, hesitant.

“She’s…” Yuri swallows. He can’t find the words. What is he supposed to say? Mila is bi, but if he’d said she was into girls, he wouldn’t strictly be lying. And it would deter Otabek from pursuing her. And maybe, given some time, he’d get over this silly infatuation, and realize that a much better match has been standing beside him all this time… namely, Yuri Plisetsky.

But then he thinks about, of all people, Yuuri. He’s annoying, yeah, but he’s also one of the best people Yuri’s ever known - not that he’d ever admit so out loud. What would he do in a situation like this?

Internally, Yuri grimaces, as he already knows the answer. If Yuuri were in his place and Victor in Otabek’s, Yuuri wouldn’t hesitate; he’d let Victor go after the person he loved, even at the cost of his own heart, because Katsudon is a stupid self-sacrificing idiot who cares more about other people’s happiness than his own.

Yuri isn’t like that. He’s the Ice Tiger, the Russian Punk, who’s known for his bratty behavior and selfish attitude. Deceiving someone else for his own gain is definitely something he’d do…

But this is Otabek, and Otabek should be happy. Could he be that with someone like Yuri?

All of this races through his mind in mere seconds, and once it passes, he exhales slowly, lifting his eyes to meet his friend’s. They’re a cool gray - a soldier’s eyes. He loves them.

God, this is gonna hurt.

“She’s single. She broke up with a hockey player before last season, but she hasn’t dated anyone since. At least, that I know of. She and Katsudon are close, you might wanna ask him.”

The words come out neutral, but they taste like ash in his mouth.

Otabek brightens considerably. “That’s good to know… Do you think he’d help me?”

“Probably,” Yuri shrugs. _But he’s going to have a hell of a lot of questions for me, first._ “Beka?”

“Yes?”

“... You sure about Mila?”

Otabek chuckles. “You’ve known her longer than I have. Why, is there something I should know?”

_I love you._

“Nothing really,” he lies. “I just don’t want another version of Victor and Katsudon to deal with.”

Otabek laughs, the sound light yet rich. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m not nearly that handsy in public.”

Yuri rolls his eyes, and it’s quiet between them for a moment. All they can hear is the sounds of the city around them - cars, people, conversations.

“Hey, Yuri?” Otabek breaks the silence.

Yuri’s head snaps up. “Yeah?”

He smiles warmly. “Thanks. It means a lot to have your support in this… I’m not really that good with relationships.”

Yuri bites down on his tongue and just smiles, nodding his head.

 

* * *

 

On the plus side, they’re not as bad as Victor and Yuuri.

 _No one_ could be as disgustingly in love as those two, Yuri thinks, but Otabek and Mila come fairly close.

Otabek asked the female figure skater out just a few days before he left St. Petersburg, and she’d agreed. It must have gone well, because they went out every night after that until he had to leave. Mila came with them to the airport to see Otabek off.

They hadn’t _kissed,_ thank god, but she wrapped him up in a tight hug, and Yuri could see the way Otabek melted shyly into the embrace.

And if he’d hoped that some distance would put them off, he was wrong. Mila texted and Skyped him constantly, to the point where Yakov began confiscating her phone whenever she came to practice, much to her dismay. She’s resorted to using Victor’s phone, which he oh-so-graciously loaned to her, but Yakov found out about that fairly quickly and banned them both from using their phones in the rink.

Yuuri had given Yuri an apologetic smile. Yuri ignored him.

The Japanese skater had tried to talk to Yuri several times now, but every time, Yuri found an excuse to avoid him. He couldn’t do it forever, he knew, because even _Victor_ was catching on to his avoidance of Yuuri, but he was going to put it off for as long as possible.

The worst part was, though, nothing really changed.

Otabek still talked to him, and the subject of Mila rarely came up. They might’ve talked a little less, sure, but their interactions remained largely the same. For some reason, that just bothered Yuri more. Like Otabek having a girlfriend wasn’t the devastating, end-all thing he’d thought it was. He wonders if he’d feel more satisfied if things did change, but Otabek is making the effort to stay friends with him, and the reminder that Otabek is a great person makes Yuri want to punch a hole in the wall.

After a few more days, nearly a week, of moping, Yuuri manages to catch him the locker rooms after practice. They’re the only two in there, as Victor was still chatting with Yakov about his free program, and the other skaters were either still out there or had left early.

Yuri sees the Japanese man standing in the room with him, his arms crossed over his chest, and he groans, slamming his locker shut.

“Look, Katsudon,” he spits. “Before you say anything. I tried, okay? I wanted to tell Beka how I felt, but he came out first with his whole thing about Mila, and I…” He looks towards the floor, resolutely not meeting Yuuri’s eyes. “He really likes her.”

There’s a pause. “You really like Otabek, don’t you?”

“Of course I do,” snaps the teen. His eyes are burning, _fuck._ “That’s why I let him go after her! Otabek is nice and charming and wonderful, and he deserves to be happy with whoever the fuck he chooses!” Yuri snaps his gaze up, glaring harshly at the other Yuuri, who just stands there, face neutral. “That’s what you’d do, isn’t it?! Self-sacrifice for love and all that stupid shit? So don’t come in here and lecture me about my choices, because I stand by them. Beka is happy with Mila and that’s all I care about!” he says, but his voice cracks on Mila’s name. Tears began flowing down his cheeks halfway through his little tirade, and he curses, hurriedly wiping them away with his sleeve. It’s one thing to sacrifice his love life like Yuuri would, but he draws the line at crying in public, too.

He hears footsteps, and he knows that Yuuri is walking towards him, but he keeps his face hidden in his sleeve. He doesn’t want to know what the look on Yuuri’s face is. Disappointment, maybe. Pity, most likely. He can’t deal with those brown eyes regarding him with the same emotion you’d give a kicked puppy, because Yuri Plisetsky was _not_ a kicked puppy.

He braces himself for Yuuri’s inevitable sappy speech about how Yuri just needs to try harder, that Otabek could still be in his grasp if he really wanted him… But that’s not what the older skater does.

Instead, Yuri feels a slender pair of arms wrap around his shoulders, and suddenly he’s being pulled into a hug. His face is tucked against Yuuri’s chest, the Japanese man’s hands holding onto him protectively. Yuri blinks against the fabric of Yuuri’s Team Japan jacket and breathes in the smell of generic body wash and what he knows is Victor’s shampoo.

“I’m not going to lecture you,” Yuuri says softly. “Given my track record, I don’t think I’m the right person for that. I just wanted to know if you were _okay,_ Yurio.”

“I…” Yuri breathes in, his breath shuddering. He leans his head against Yuuri’s shoulder and sags in defeat. “I don’t know.”

“That’s alright,” says Yuuri. His thumb rubs soothing little circles into Yuri’s back. “I’m not the only one worried, you know. Victor and Yakov are losing their minds over what’s gotten into you. Lilia is, too, even if she won’t show it. Even Georgi’s noticed, and he’s off with Katrina more often than not.”

Yuri groans, burying his head further into Yuuri’s chest. It makes the taller man chuckle, warm vibrations that Yuri can feel in his body. “Fuck those guys,” he says tiredly. “If anyone’s gonna be my rinkside therapist, it’ll just be you.”

“Good to know,” laughs Yuuri.

The mood in the room is far more lighthearted than before. Yuri just allows himself to be held by his friend-slash-parental-figure, content as Yuuri rocks them quietly back and forth on their feet.

“You know…” Yuuri says, after a while. “Mila’s been worried, too. She’s noticed that you don’t talk to her anymore.”

Yuri grimaces. “I just… I…”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Yuuri placates. “Just… Promise me you won’t let this ruin your friendships. You deserve so much more than that, Yurio, and you have so many people that care about you.”

Yuuri feels a fresh wave of tears building in his head, but he valiantly blinks them away. “You’re such a sap, Katsudon.”

He feels Yuuri shrug. “What’s wrong with that?”

Yuri doesn’t reply; he just leaves his face buried in the older man’s chest for what feels like an eternity, his heart feeling lighter than it has in weeks.

He doesn’t even notice when Victor walks into the locker room, looking for his missing fiance, only to see the two of them hugging silently.

He doesn’t notice Victor’s confused expression, or the way Yuuri minutely shakes his head, sending the older Russian a look that promises to explain later.

He doesn’t notice when Victor slips back out as quietly as he came.

 

* * *

 

Over the next few weeks, Yuri does get better. It’s not a smooth process, however. There are moments, like when Otabek texts him a heart emoji in jest, or when he sees a post from Mila’s Instagram gushing about their three-month anniversary, that make Yuri want to curl into a ball and shut the rest of the world out again.

But when he feels like that, he shoots a quick text to Yuuri, asking if it’s alright to call. And everytime, without fail, Yuuri says yes. So at least he has someone to vent to about these things. There’s always his grandpa, yes, but Yuuri is closer to his age, and he doesn’t want to burden him with his personal issues, no matter how okay he knows his grandpa would be with it.

Eventually, he works up the nerve to finally talk to Mila - not to tell her about his feelings for Otabek, of course, because he’s not quite ready for _that_ yet - and the female skater is so overjoyed that he’s no longer ignoring her that she sweeps him up in a tight hug that lasts a good seven minutes. Yuri almost passes out, but it’s worth it to see the bright smile on Mila’s face. Because despite everything, she _is_ his friend, and he does want her to be happy, too.

Yuuri encourages him to tell Otabek the truth anyway, but Yuri declines. He actually finds himself thinking about it a lot, wondering about the implications it would have on Otabek and Mila’s relationship. It’s still new, but they seem to be going strong, so maybe Yuri revealing his feelings wouldn’t be too hard on them. Sure, they’d probably feel bad, and it’d be awkward as hell for a while, but it would definitely settle itself, right?

Or what about the other scenario, that Yuri only dares to think about when it’s been a particularly bad day. The one where Otabek realizes that he loves Yuri too, breaks things off with Mila, and runs straight to Yuri to confess. His imagination always places the scene in the rain, and he thinks maybe he’s been watching too many romcoms with Yuuri and Victor. But could something like that possibly happen?

Yuri doesn’t want to know. He’d much rather skate, so that’s what he does.

His theme is going to be “progress”. He ignores the way Yuuri beams at him when he announces it, though Victor insists that he spots a smile on the teen’s face as he turns away.

But, well, Victor is stupid.

 

* * *

 


	2. my heart is pumping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter tried to go in all sorts of different directions. I had to reign it in to make sure it stayed two chapters ;;
> 
> That being said, this is still a bit longer than the first chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

 

It’s a few months later, at the Cup of China, when everything changes for Yuri… Again.

He’s not actually competing in the Cup, he’s just tagged along with Victor to cheer Yuuri on. And Otabek is competing too, so there’s that.

Mila’s also joined them. By then, Yuri doesn’t mind her presence at all, and his heart only hurts a little bit when she tackles a surprised - but clearly pleased - Otabek at the airport. He’s been making _progress._

Anyway, it’s on the first day of the competition when Yuri meets _him._

It’s not hard to notice him; he stands out. Or rather, his hair does. It’s a wild mess of dirty blond with a shock of bright red that Yuri spots from several feet away. It’s not until he walks closer that he sees the person attached to the hair - a teenager like him, but maybe a little younger, with bright, round eyes and a toothy smile. He’s waving his arms around excitedly, and belatedly, Yuri realizes that he’s talking to Yuuri.

Then it clicks - he’s seen the guy before. His name is Minami, or something. According to Victor, he’s one of Yuuri’s biggest fans. And yeah, from the way he looks at Yuuri, which is only a few degrees less severe than the way Victor looks at him, Yuri can tell that it’s true.

Yuri strolls up to them anyway, uncaring that he’s probably interrupting their conversation. Yuuri notices him and smiles.

“Yurio! Where’s Victor?”

Yuri shrugs, aware that Minami is now looking at him with curiosity clear in his gaze. “Interviews or some shit. He’ll get here eventually, pig, don’t worry.”

Minami makes a noise, so Yuri finally looks at him, only to be shocked to discover a furious look on the teen’s face. Yuuri glances between the two of them and quickly places a hand on Minami’s shoulder. The immediately makes the younger skater flush, and his dopey smile returns.

“Yurio, this is Kenjirou Minami. He’s competing, too. It’s his first year in Seniors’, isn’t that exciting?”

Yuri raises an eyebrow. “Nice to meet you,” he offers blandly, and Minami - or Kenjirou, he later learns is his first name - lets his expression falter, his smile turning back to a small frown.

There’s an awkward silence for a few moments, and then suddenly Victor bursts into the room, drawing everyone’s eye, as per usual. Yuuri is going on in just a few minutes, he says, so the Japanese skater bows to his juniors and follows after Victor to do… whatever it is those two do before they perform. Yuri doesn’t want to think about it.

Unfortunately, that leaves Yuri and Kenjirou by themselves. Yuri’s about to turn and leave when Kenjirou unexpectedly speaks up.

“Why did you call Yuuri-kun ‘pig’?” he asks, giving Yuri a stern look.

Yuri scoffs. “Have you seen the guy off-season? He puts on pounds like he’s a fat magnet or some shit.”

It’s by far not the meanest thing he’s ever said about Yuuri, and if the older man were there, he’d probably just laugh it off. But Kenjirou bristles, his eyes lighting up with absolute _fury._

“That doesn’t mean you should call him names!” he all but shouts, causing Yuri to flinch back in surprise at the intensity in his voice. “If anything, I think that makes Yuuri-kun even _more_ amazing! He has to work twice as hard to stay in shape! And I bet he’s still pretty anyway!”

Yuri holds up his hands, his eyes wide. “Whoa, okay, calm the fuck down.”

Kenjirou is still glaring at him, but he does stop talking, thankfully.

“Look,” says Yuri. “I say shit like that about Katsudo- I mean, Katsuki all the time. To his face, more often than not. He doesn’t give a fuck.”

Kenjirou pouts. Yuri blinks. It is _not_ adorable, he tells himself. He does _not_ look like an angry lion cub.

(… Yes he does.)

“I still don’t think it’s alright…” Kenjirou murmurs. “You should be nicer to him.”

Yuri is about to reply, when they hear the roar of the crowd and Kenjirou startles. His expression switches back to the one of pure joy.

“Oh! Yuuri-kun is going on!”

And just like that, Kenjirou speeds towards the rink to watch his idol perform live, leaving a thoroughly confused Yuri in his wake.

Yuri blinks again, staring at the spot Kenjirou was standing in before.

“The fuck?” he says, entirely to himself.

 

* * *

 

Kenjirou is… not bad. His routines are upbeat and energetic, and so is he, so the crowd loves him. He’s not technically proficient yet - he flubbed his triple axel and his only quad was met with a shaky landing - but yeah. He’s not bad.

He ends up placing third, amazingly, and he holds up his bronze medal with pride, sneaking the occasional glance up at Yuuri, who holds his gold medal with his usual exhausted-but-content smile.

Otabek places second. The moment he steps off the podium Mila sweeps him up in a another hug, and the usually stoic Kazakh actually _laughs,_ spinning her in a little circle.

Yuri stares. He’s been making progress, sure, but Otabek looks so _happy._

He doesn’t have a lot of time to think about it before Victor starts kissing Yuuri as soon as the Japanese skater steps into his arms. Cameras and reporters go off all around them, because apparently the skating community isn’t as sick of those two as Yuri is, but Victor doesn’t pay them any mind, too focused on trying to shove his tongue down an all too-willing Yuuri’s throat on national television.

Yuri makes a loud retching noise and turns away from the two disgusting couple. As he does, he catches a glimpse of Kenjirou, who’s stepped down from the podium last. The wild-maned teen is staring at Victor and Yuuri, shocked, and for a moment, Yuri thinks he’s going to start crying. He really likes Yuuri, after all, so watching him get all handsy with his coach-slash-future-husband must be difficult.

Except, Kenjirou only smiles. And it’s not a wide grin of admiration, either; it’s a soft, gentle thing, like he’s a parent watching their child do something endearing. Except he’s eighteen years old - and how fucking weird was that, he was just a _year_ younger than Otabek and two years older than Yuri himself - and Yuuri is most definitely _not_ his child. Yuri doesn’t get it.

Much later, once they manage to pry Victor and Yuuri off each other, Victor offers to treat everyone to dinner. He wants to go to that ‘cute little place’ he and Yuuri found the last time they were in China, where Victor had gotten shitfaced and naked pictures of him clinging to Yuuri began circulating all over the internet. He loves that place, he says.

Victor is fucking weird.

But anyway, Yuuri wants to go too, and if Yuuri wanted to go, that meant Kenjirou did as well.

Mila and Otabek politely decline, with the excuse that they want to spend some ‘quality time’ together. Mila found a restaurant that serves Kazakhstani food nearby, and Otabek fully intends to judge said food on its authenticity.

They invite Yuri, but it’s almost like an afterthought for them, so he declines.

“I’m more in the mood for Chinese food anyway,” he lies. Kazakhstani food is actually delicious, and he wants nothing more than to tuck into some laghman noodles right now, but he knows the food won’t stay down if he has to watch Mila and Otabek make cow eyes at each other the entire time.

So they break off into two groups, Mila and Otabek headed one way, Victor, Kenjirou, and the two Yu(u)ri’s headed the other.

They arrive at the restaurant and pick a booth situated next to a window. Naturally, Victor and Yuuri sit beside each other, leaving Kenjirou and Yuri to awkwardly share a seat.

They’ve barely said a word to each other since their earlier incident. Yuri’s still not sure what his problem is - everyone knows he talks to Yuuri like that, it’s just how their relationship is.

Maybe Kenjirou just needs to tone down the hero worship; the teen is positively _gazing_ at Yuuri as the Japanese skater eats, as if watching him eat somehow unlocks the answers to the universe’s greatest questions. And whenever Yuuri talks, he hangs off his every word.

Yuri is _confused._ He obviously likes the guy, so why was he smiling when he and Victor kissed earlier?

He eventually decides to say something, and in his typical fashion, he says it with fried shrimp stuffed in his mouth.

“So what’s the deal, Kenjirou? You’re piggy’s biggest fan, right?”

Kenjirou glances at him, the wonderfully adorable pout returning to his lips as Yuri uses the nickname he hates so much. It makes Yuri grin.

After a beat, he answers. “ _Yuuri-kun._ And yeah. I mean, I’m the president of the Fukuoka chapter of the Katsuki Yuuri fanclub, so I’m a pretty big one, at least.”

Yuuri chokes on some Shanghai crab while Victor just laughs.

“Gross,” Yuri says in reply, almost reflexively. “But anyway, aren’t you like, in love with him or whatever?”

“Yurio!” scolds Yuuri, though his Mom Voice is a little strained, due to the bits of crab still stuck in his throat. Victor passes him a glass of water, which he gratefully accepts, while Kenjirou answers Yuri’s second query.

The eighteen-year-old doesn’t looked fazed in the slightest. “Oh, definitely. I mean, have you _seen_ him?”

As if to prove his point, he gestures across the table at Yuuri, who’s just finished chugging an entire glass of water and blinks owlishly at the two younger skaters. Yuri raises an eyebrow. Victor beams, heart-shaped smile in full effect, and loops one of his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders, bringing him in close.

“I know! Isn’t he just the best?” he sighs happily.

“Can you all please stop talking?” Yuuri begs.

“So, like,” Yuri says, talking over him, “you’re not upset that he and Victor are…?” He waves his hands at Victor and Yuuri.

Kenjirou smiles and shakes his head. “Oh, no. It doesn’t really matter to me.”

All three at the table frown and regard him curiously.

“What do you mean?” asks Yuri.

Kenjirou replies with a benign smile on his face. “I guarantee, ten years from now, I will be Yuuri-kun’s second husband.”

It’s silent for a moment. Then Victor blinks, raising his other hand to point to his own face.

“What happened to me?”

“Nothing you can prove,” comes Kenjirou’s flippant reply.

Victor looks stunned, and incredibly, instead of embarrassed or mortified, Yuuri is quietly amused, a small smile on his face.

Yuri, for his part, starts giggling.

“Why wait ten years?” he manages in between laughs. “Just do it now and save me from their hell.”

“Well,” Kenjirou folds his arms across his chest, looking like he’s actually _thinking about it._ “I was thinking when I turned eighteen and could actually marry Yuuri-kun, yeah, but then I thought, ‘why not let him marry his idol? Yuuri-kun deserves that much.’ So yeah. I’ll give Victor-san ten years.”

“I’ll help hide the body,” he offers seriously. “If you do it now, I swear to god I’ll help.”

Kenjirou lets out a boisterous laugh - Yuri is struck for a moment, staring incredulously at the teen. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Yuri-san.”

Yuri is still staring at Kenjirou with an awestruck expression. Then Victor whines, squeezing his fiance around the middle.

“ _Yuuri,_ our kids are being mean to me…”

That snaps Yuri out of his daze. “We aren’t your damn kids.”

“Calm down, Vitya,” says Yuuri placidly. He turns his gaze to Yuri and Kenjirou. “You two, stop teasing him.”

Kenjirou has the decency to look abashed. He rubs the back of his head and grins sheepishly.

“Sorry, Yuuri-kun…”

Yuri just snorts. “Tell your soon-to-be dead fiance to toughen up.”

Victor wails, loudly, and the rest of the night is spent with Yuuri trying to cheer him up, Kenjirou and Yuri watching on like they’re a TV show.

At the end of the night, they head back to the hotel, and Kenjirou bids them goodnight with a happy wave as he trounces off to his room. Yuri finds himself smiling after the bouncing skater, and quickly schools his face into a neutral expression. Yuuri and Victor go to their shared room, and Yuri goes to his, though only after making them swear to ‘keep it down tonight’ or he’ll follow through on Kenjirou’s earlier threat.

Yuri checks Instagram right before bed, and sees a photo uploaded on Mila’s account from that very night. It’s of her and Otabek, obviously; she’s in the lower corner of the photo, hiding a grin behind her hand as her other holds up the phone, and Otabek is seen at a restaurant table, making a face at what looks to be a pile of dumplings, one of which he’s holding, half-eaten.

It’s captioned “the beshbarmak passed inspection, but @otabek-altin doesn’t like the manti #lol #kazakhfoodtastetest #hesgoingtogetmebackforthis”.

Yuri blinks, frowning at his phone’s screen for what feels like an hour. The nauseous feeling in his gut is back, but it’s not nearly as severe as it has been before.

He likes the picture, sends a message to Otabek saying “torture her with holodets, she fuckin hates those”, then tucks himself in for sleep.

Just before he drifts off, Otabek replies with a thumbs-up and a devil emoji, and Yuri falls asleep with a smile.

 

* * *

 

A few weeks later, Yuri gets the gold at Trophée de France, so all he needs now is to get at least third at Rostelecom and he’ll have made it to the Grand Prix Finals for this season. Yuuri’s already secured his spot with another gold at the NHK Trophy, narrowly beating out that Czech skater Emil.

Victor’s big comeback has been, as expected, phenomenal, so Yuri doesn’t doubt he’ll make the podium at Rostelecom and advance to the GPF, though he’s determined to snatch another gold medal from under the Russian hero’s nose.

The only other skater he knows has a spot in the Men’s Singles Division is Otabek, but he’s not surprised by that. Mila, who also has a spot in the Women’s Singles, is ecstatic about being able to see him in person again when they fly out to Nagoya for the competition.

Otabek’s been texting Yuri about it, too; he’s planning a big romantic date for after the Finals, since it just so happens to coincide with their six month anniversary. And when Yuri reads that little fact, he pauses.

Has it really been six months already? It feels like less. The first few weeks of their relationship, Yuri felt like the days were dragging by, but as he began to make progress on his own feelings, time suddenly sped by. When he thinks back to how he was back then, when he tries to remember how badly he’d been hurt, he’s surprised.

That pain is almost nonexistent by now. Of course, it’s still there, and Yuri’s content with the fact that it will probably always be there - but now, instead of a fresh wound, it’s more like an old scar. The reminder will always be there, but it’s not too distracting.

It helps that he’s had a different sort of distraction the past few weeks.

His phone pings with another message, this one not from Otabek, who’s currently musing over what type of restaurant he should bring Mila to in Nagoya.

He grins upon reading the contact name; it’s Kenjirou.

Apparently, Kenjirou had followed Yuri’s Instagram and Twitter, and after about a week of liking and retweeting with no actual contact, Yuri had caved first, and sent him a message. Shortly after, they exchanged numbers, and they’ve been texting constantly ever since.

Kenjirou is… a lot more awesome than Yuri initially gave him credit for.

Sure, he's still an annoyingly huge fan of Yuuri’s, and he's a _dog person_ (another one, Christ) _,_ but he has his good qualities.

Firstly, he's boundlessly enthusiastic. With anyone else, this would just annoy Yuri further, but something about Kenjirou - the way he cheers everyone on, his words of encouragement, right down to the handmade banners he's shown off to Yuri via Skype - makes it more endearing than anything else.

Secondly, he… listens. You’d think someone like Kenjirou would be someone who never shuts up, and on some accounts, that’s accurate. Kenjirou can wax poetic about Yuuri Katsuki’s skating and artistry for a solid three hours if you let him - not that Yuri ever has, _shut up -_ and oddly, he’s got an extensive knowledge of musicals from the 1950s that he’s more than willing to share with others.

But when Yuri needs to talk, Kenjirou lets him.

He hadn’t meant to, at first. Talk to Kenjirou. It just sort of… happened.

Kenjirou is asking for pointers on his triple salchow on Skype, when Yuri’s phone pings with a notification. He checks it as Kenjirou keeps talking, only to see it was text from Otabek, asking him to find out if Mila likes sweets - his mom was putting together a _care package_ of all things, for her son’s girlfriend, and he was _helping her._

Now, Yuri’s gotten better over the past few months, but that’s just ridiculous.

It must have shown on his face, because Kenjirou stops babbling and asks him what’s wrong.

Half an hour later, he’s spilling out his guts to an accommodating skater all the way in Japan. Normally, he has better restraint.

Kenjirou doesn’t say anything, he just… listens. All the way until Yuri is done, nearly two hours later, and even then, he only asks one question.

“Do you want me to punch Otabek in the face?”

Yuri stares. Kenjirou’s face is dead-serious. Then, after a beat, the Russian skater starts to giggle.

“Are you kidding me? Beka’s like, a foot taller than you! Can you even reach his face?”

Kenjirou sniffs disdainfully, though Yuri sees a hint of a smile on his lips.

“Okay, fine. I’ll kick him in the shins.”

Yuri straight-up chortles at that, trying desperately to smother his laughter with a hand.

“Please don’t,” he says eventually, once he calms down. “It wasn’t ever Otabek’s fault, anyway. I missed my chance, I’ve gotta live with it. Besides…” Yuri glances at his lap, where his phone with Otabek’s text still sat open. “He’s happy with Mila. They really love each other.”

Kenjirou offers him a small smile. “Okay. But if you ever change your mind, hit me up. I will _find_ him.”

Yuri laughs again, and smiles at the Japanese teen on his computer screen.

“... Thanks, Ken.”

 

* * *

 

Just before the Grand Prix Finals, Kenjirou takes an hour flight from his hometown to Nagoya to act as Yuri’s personal tour guide-slash-translator.

Normally, he’d get Yuuri to do it, but the older Japanese skater disappeared along with Victor half an hour after their plane landed. He’d rather not think about where they’ve run off to, so he accepts Kenjirou’s offer, and they run around Nagoya together.

Or, more accurately, they run from Yuri’s fans, then Kenjirou’s fans, hide in a shopping mall, and buy a truckload of Japanese sweets. They reunite with Yuuri and Victor while visiting a shrine, and then the four of them go out to eat.

It’s fun. Yuri can’t remember the last time he had so much fun.

(He can. It’s when Otabek first visited St. Petersburg. Wow, it’s been a while.)

He checks his phone as the others eat and laugh. After a moment’s hesitation, he texts Otabek.

**To: Beka**

_Hows the date goin? If ur bein gross just send back a thumbs up, i dont want details_

He doesn’t have to wait long. Otabek’s text tone alerts him to a new message.

It’s four thumbs up and a heart.

Yuri finds himself snickering, a smile threatening to make its way onto his face. Beside him, Kenjirou waves his hands excitedly, distracting him from his phone.

Kenjirou catches his gaze and grins.

Yuri grins back, and pockets his phone.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri wins the Grand Prix Finals that year. Victor is a few scant points behind him, but he beams adoringly at his fiance as he shyly accepts the congratulations and praise from his peers. Of course he’s happy; with a gold medal around Yuuri’s neck, they can finally start planning the wedding.

Yuri’s own bronze medal hangs as a heavy weight, but he can’t bring himself to be too upset about it. Not when he’s just worked up the nerve to ask Kenjirou to be his date for the banquet.

He hasn’t stopped smiling since Kenjirou shouted ‘of course!’ and tackled him in a hug.

 

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

_Six months later…_

Otabek glides up to Yuri where he rests against the dividers.

On the rink, Mila is giggling and taking pictures as Yuuri tries to teach Kenjirou how to properly land a quad, impeded only by the younger man’s uncontrollable excitement at being taught by his idol. Victor watches them with a smile, completely ignoring Yakov’s annoyed criticisms about his short program’s choreography, and Lilia simply tuts by her ex-husband’s side. Georgi’s absent today, off on a date with his fiance.

It’s a good day, Yuri decides.

He offers Otabek a small grin; the Kazakh returns it just before grabbing his water bottle. Yuri goes back to watching Kenjirou fawn over Yuuri’s perfect landing, and his grin morphs to a soft smile.

He feels a nudge at his arm, and turns his head to see Otabek again.

“How are things with you and Kenjirou?” he asks, not unkindly.

“They’re…” Yuri searches for a word. He’s not a poet, though, so he settles for what he knows. “They’re really good. Like, _really_ good.”

Otabek hums and takes another sip of his water.

“What about you and Mila?” Yuri asks.

“We’re great,” he replies, smiling at his girlfriend. “Actually, uh…”

He sets down his water bottle and gestures for Yuri to come closer. Yuri does, though he frowns in confusion.

Otabek licks his lips, clearly nervous, as he speaks in a low murmur. “I… I’m thinking of asking her to marry me.”

Yuri’s eyes go wide. He’s about to shout when Otabek hurriedly shushes him, looking back out at the rink; luckily, no one seems to have noticed. More quietly, Yuri responds.

“That’s _awesome,_ Beka,” he beams. “When? Have you talked about this with her? You told her parents, right?”

Otabek huffs out a laugh. “I’ve already asked her mother. She’s… She’s giving me her grandmother’s ring to propose with. And yeah, we’ve talked about it… We’ve been living together for two months now, and things have been really good, so… I was thinking, maybe after Victor and Yuuri’s wedding, two weeks from now?”

Yuri pretends to make a face. “Ugh. Proposing after a wedding, using a family ring… You sap. You used to be _cool,_ Beka.”

Otabek shoves him in the arm, grinning. “Shut up. Anyway, if… If she says yes - !”

“Which she will, unless she’s an idiot.”

“Would you be my best man?”

Yuri blinks. “Wh… Of course I will! What kind of fucking question is that?”

“Just had to make sure,” Otabek chuckles.

They both turn back to keep watching the crowd. Mila is hefting Kenjirou over her head in a truly impressive lift - Kenjirou is holding out his arms as though he’s flying. Yuuri is doubled over laughing, as is Victor, and even Yakov and Lilia seem to have a hard time keeping the smiles off their faces.

It’s quiet between the two of them for a moment.

“Hey, Beka?”

“Yeah?”

“You know I used to have a crush on you?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Otabek’s head whip around to stare at him.

“What - really?”

“Yeah. I mean, I don’t anymore, obviously, but it used to be really bad.”

“Oh… Huh.” Otabek is still staring at him. “I had no idea…”

“Good. I would’ve been fucking mortified if you knew.”

“Well.” Otabek glances back at Mila and Kenjirou. “Everything worked out in the end, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Yuri agrees. “It really did.”

It’s a _really_ good day.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My fondness for OtaMila has honestly increased 500% while imagining cute scenarios for them to bug Yurio with OTL
> 
> Aaanyway, that's that! Never thought I'd write for a rarepair, let alone two. Well, there's some Victuuri to balance it out so I guess it's fine lmao
> 
> Tell me what you thought! Maybe hit me up on [tumblr](http://persephoneggsy.tumblr.com/) too, if you want!
> 
> (and yes I quoted iCarly shhhhhh)

**Author's Note:**

> Minami will be in the next part don't worry lol
> 
> This felt weird to write for me. Maybe because it's not from Yuuri or Victor's POV, and I usually write just the two of them, but also, I've never been in love/faced an unrequited crush before, so I'm not sure Yurio is totally believable here. 
> 
> Thoughts?? It would seriously help me out with the next part.


End file.
